i dont know what happened to me. im blamed for the downfall. i left and my nervous system is out of wack.
(23f) meet a guy (25m) he tells me all of his exes did him wrong prior. okay. very obsessive/marriage talk from the start. i have a history of sw during active addiction and he didnt like it. when i met him i was just out of rehab year sober i was still doing of but he helped me financially to get out of it. i start what in his mind is microcheating; kept around a friend who used to like me and said no when there was anything between us believing that to mean "have you ever been together/been physical", he went through my phone saw me rejecting him years ago, was deemed a liar. sent heart emojis to a gay influencer. when i understood his reactions i lied about contacting a mutual friend about someone i was physical in active addiction with asking if he had died yet. by the end of it i was accused, followed, broken up with constantly, roof threatened over my head, last mistake i made was contacting other people including men about housing thinking the ex was being genuine with his threats. he saw that = more evidence i was trying to "lilypad".
one night he gets upset over notifications. they were from landlords as he wanted help finding us a place. blew up, harsh words thrown at my face, im never having a daughter lest she end up like you, did you really think i wanted to live with you, w word, etc. 3 days of me texting him trying to reconcile, 3 days of him texting insults of character and telling me to get out of his life.
there was also an incident of him being all sing song and sweet coercing me into an act which i changed my mind about after and he got upset and i was made to the villain. was told i should be accessed whenever and that he was upset my past clients during active addiction had me however they wanted and he couldnt.
at that point i wanted to get high from the push and pull, cut everyone off, did not benefit from the relationship in the slightest other than being financially taken care of, so i left. not without leaving letters and trying to get it though to him that we should take distance. no he took it as abandonment, was hurt, which channeled into rage. threatened my life knowing i knew he bought a gun, saw no part in why i left, told me i was a liar a cheater. i kept begging him to understand. invited me over once most likely needing a nut, did that in me no protection as he always told me it felt better, i thought we were good again and was relieved, two hours after i leave he tells me he doesnt forgive me and to leave him alone. i left without a job, going through his kids abrtion, found a job that did not cover any living expenses. i asked him for help and he thought i was asking to help finance a date with another guy. mother ended up in the hospital and i decided to pay rent that month by going back to non penetrative sw. i felt disgusted with myself and thankfully landed a second job shortly after.
in april he decides he wants me again. i was overjoyed, he finally understands again i want him and no one but him. i apologize for leaving and he apologizes for threatening my life. tells me the only thing thatll break us up is whatever i did during our "no contact". i never considered it that, rather a break, as his behavior was indicative of wanting nothing to do with me.
i already knew how he'd take the truth of what i did, and i knew he'd never understand. i thought i'd be able to carry it to the grave but was not, i came to him in tears telling him i couldnt live with the guilt and told him. night and day, beforehand he was fantasizing about a marriage and 2 days later i have an eviction on my name. told me i brought out his deepest trauma of a girl doing stuff to someone else and coming home and kissing him. i ask him to understand that we werent together and that i tried asking for his help beforehand but he refuses. 3 weeks i sat in his house looking for housing elsewhere, every 4-5 days he'd get soft and tell me he understands why i did it, that hes sorry he wasnt there for me, but no acknowledgement of why i left in the first place. he'd invite me to his room for sx and id fold. then he'd mention how hurt he is and we'd fight. i left last week.
from three months in, the entirety of the relationship revolved around how well i could prove i want this guy. my intentions were never to replace him. i stuck around him like a dog, had no social life, sacrificed my connections to ease him. he told me i didnt know how to take accountability and told me my mistakes imply more than i believed they did. for example i was told id pursue the person from use i lied about, and he began mentioning him more than i ever thought about him. i didnt know how to admit to something that wasnt true and was told he never got validation or closure for my mistakes. i was told all my male friends would fck if given the chance. i didnt see the world like that at all, and despite me staying through his worst moments, through trouble at work and bad checks and his yelling and insults he always thought hed be replaced. i thought i could fix his deepest traumas.
i just wanna know if its all my fault as he says. maybe the world is crueler than i think.
tdlr; how to tell if its your fault or trauma bond